NWMO details process to access private land

NWMO details process to access private land

Steve Cornwell

Published on: May 14, 2019 | Last Updated: May 16, 2019 5:10 PM EDT

Mahrez (Ben) Belfadhel, vice president of site selection for the NWMO, introduced the organization's land access process on May 13 at Huron-Kinloss council. The process could pay property owners in Huron-Kinloss and South Bruce to allow NWMO investigations on their land, and 125% of fair market value if optioned for sale. STEVE CORNWELL/POSTMEDIA NETWORK

Property sold to the NWMO in access agreements could fetch fair market value plus 25%

Landowners in Huron-Kinloss and South Bruce can now offer their land to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to study and potentially buy.

At the May 13 Huron-Kinloss council meeting, NWMO vice-president of site selection Mahrez (Ben) Belfadhel outlined the organization’s land access process, which would pay property owners in the area to voluntarily option their land for study for the underground nuclear waste burial site.

According to documents on the process, landowners would be compensated 10 per cent of fair market value of their property when signing an option agreement, which would allow the NWMO potentially conduct borehole drilling, geophysical studies and other site investigations. Landowners would also receive $10,000 to cover costs associated with the agreement, including lawyer and accounting fees.

If the NWMO choose to buy the land, they would pay fair market value plus 25 per cent, which would mean a property valued at $500,000 would bring in a total of $675,000 plus the $10,000 cost covering payment from start to finish in the agreement.

Current property owners could also potentially lease their land back from the NWMO after its sale.

Belfadhel called the process a “natural step” towards finding a site for the depository because without available land, the proposed $23 billion project that will host Canada’s highly radiative used fuel, can’t move forward.

“We are not going to select a community if we don’t have an assurance that we will be able to acquire the land for the project regardless of where we are,” Belfadhel said.

The program is seeking access to 1,500 acres from one or multiple landowners, and property assessments could begin as early as June for those who come forward.

According to NWMO documents, landowners also have the option to sell their property, which if purchased, would draw market value plus five per cent. In that scenario, the landowner would still receive $10,000 cover potential professional fees but not the 10 per cent of fair market value like in the option agreement.

Belfadhel, made a similar presentation at South Bruce council on May 14, said it’s too early to say whether landowners in the area will come forward, but called the process an opportunity “for people to look at it and decide for themselves if they are interested in participating.”

Huron-Kinloss deputy mayor Don Murray said that he thinks everybody in the area is “going to be inquisitive” about what NWMO’s land access process entails. As a landowner himself, Murray said he would inquire about the process.

“I would definitely look at it,” he said. “I think we’re in a learning stage and we need to learn everything we can about it.”

Three other potential sites, Ignace, Hornepayne and Manitouwadge are under consideration for the used fuel repository. Land in those northern Ontario communities is regarded Crown land and the NWMO is engaged in negotiations with government for access instead of private landowners.

The NWMO aims to find a single community for the waste site by 2023. At one point, 21 communities were involved in the selection process for the depository, which the NWMO plans to have operational in 2040.